1 00:00:01,440 --> 00:00:03,840 Speaker 1: It is amazing how people hit by a car are 2 00:00:03,880 --> 00:00:07,480 Speaker 1: thrown in the air like a crash test dummy. They 3 00:00:07,480 --> 00:00:11,000 Speaker 1: go up in the air in a somersault and they 4 00:00:11,039 --> 00:00:17,840 Speaker 1: come down in a very ugly, untidy heap. The unknown 5 00:00:17,920 --> 00:00:20,640 Speaker 1: driver jumped out of the car and took a look 6 00:00:20,920 --> 00:00:24,320 Speaker 1: at his victim, and it seems, and this is where 7 00:00:24,360 --> 00:00:27,840 Speaker 1: we're getting into speculation, it seems made a terrible decision. 8 00:00:30,320 --> 00:00:33,520 Speaker 1: I'm Andrew Rules, Life and Crimes. A story that's always 9 00:00:33,600 --> 00:00:37,600 Speaker 1: fascinated me, although I have not written about it myself 10 00:00:38,400 --> 00:00:43,839 Speaker 1: until this month, is the story of the killing of 11 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:49,040 Speaker 1: Huey Wilson just outside Kolak, back in nineteen seventy six. 12 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:53,840 Speaker 1: Now that effectively is a lifetime ago. It happened at 13 00:00:53,880 --> 00:00:56,640 Speaker 1: the very beginning of when I started work, which is 14 00:00:56,680 --> 00:01:00,440 Speaker 1: a long time ago. Huey Wilson was a World War 15 00:01:00,440 --> 00:01:04,039 Speaker 1: II veteran of fifty seven years old in that year, 16 00:01:04,280 --> 00:01:08,680 Speaker 1: which is interesting in itself because there are no World 17 00:01:08,720 --> 00:01:12,200 Speaker 1: War Two veterans left. Essentially, they're all north of one 18 00:01:12,240 --> 00:01:14,760 Speaker 1: hundred and I don't know that there's any of them alive. 19 00:01:15,080 --> 00:01:18,400 Speaker 1: But he back in the seventies was one of thousands 20 00:01:18,440 --> 00:01:20,920 Speaker 1: of World War Two veterans who were still around, and 21 00:01:21,280 --> 00:01:25,200 Speaker 1: Huey was a local boy from Kolak. He was one 22 00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:26,840 Speaker 1: of a big family. I think he was one of 23 00:01:26,880 --> 00:01:30,759 Speaker 1: ten kids, something like that, big family, and he joined 24 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:33,720 Speaker 1: up to go to World War Two. I think he 25 00:01:33,800 --> 00:01:37,399 Speaker 1: might have been engaged to a local girl. But anyway, 26 00:01:37,520 --> 00:01:40,679 Speaker 1: when he got back from war service, life had sort 27 00:01:40,680 --> 00:01:43,640 Speaker 1: of gone past him. I think his fionce or his 28 00:01:43,720 --> 00:01:49,720 Speaker 1: girlfriend had married someone else, and he basically just settled 29 00:01:49,720 --> 00:01:52,920 Speaker 1: down into a very quiet life and he was sort 30 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:55,600 Speaker 1: of sidelined in a way. In a way that happened 31 00:01:55,600 --> 00:01:59,040 Speaker 1: to some veterans, guys that have been the army, They 32 00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:03,800 Speaker 1: were affected by and they never really resumed civilian life 33 00:02:03,880 --> 00:02:08,240 Speaker 1: with any great enthusiasm or success. And here he was 34 00:02:08,280 --> 00:02:12,560 Speaker 1: not particularly eccentric. He wasn't a hermit. Really, he wasn't 35 00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:18,200 Speaker 1: a strange derelict. He was just a local guy that 36 00:02:18,240 --> 00:02:21,200 Speaker 1: people knew and quite liked. Quite a pleasant man, quite 37 00:02:21,240 --> 00:02:24,160 Speaker 1: a kind man. Nobody said a word against him. He 38 00:02:24,200 --> 00:02:29,000 Speaker 1: wasn't dishonest. He didn't light fires or steel washing off 39 00:02:29,040 --> 00:02:31,120 Speaker 1: the line or any of that stuff. But what he 40 00:02:31,160 --> 00:02:35,679 Speaker 1: did do just to the south of Kolak, in the 41 00:02:35,760 --> 00:02:38,880 Speaker 1: foothills of the otways is and was a lot of bush, 42 00:02:39,160 --> 00:02:42,359 Speaker 1: thick bush, and what he did was set up camp 43 00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:47,639 Speaker 1: in that bush, and basically he became a stationary swagman. 44 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:51,160 Speaker 1: He was a swagman who did not walk the highways 45 00:02:51,200 --> 00:02:54,640 Speaker 1: and byways traveling from Downtotown. What he would do was 46 00:02:54,760 --> 00:02:56,840 Speaker 1: camp at one spot where he had a bit of 47 00:02:56,919 --> 00:02:59,480 Speaker 1: a tent set up with Heshan and all the rest 48 00:02:59,520 --> 00:03:02,880 Speaker 1: of them, a camp stretcher and a little fire to 49 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:06,400 Speaker 1: cook stuff and make a cup of tea. And he 50 00:03:06,440 --> 00:03:10,919 Speaker 1: would walk into Kolak a few kilometers decent walk might 51 00:03:10,960 --> 00:03:13,880 Speaker 1: have been five K, six K, seven k's whatever, And 52 00:03:13,919 --> 00:03:16,040 Speaker 1: he would carry a sugar bag of sugar bags, a 53 00:03:16,120 --> 00:03:19,880 Speaker 1: light Hessian bag and he'd take that with him and 54 00:03:19,919 --> 00:03:23,160 Speaker 1: he'd buys some supplies, maybe couple of times a week. 55 00:03:24,040 --> 00:03:26,359 Speaker 1: This is the road. Incidentally, he would walk down the 56 00:03:26,480 --> 00:03:29,880 Speaker 1: road to Kolak, the same road where Cliffy Young back 57 00:03:29,919 --> 00:03:32,360 Speaker 1: in the day used to run. He would run to 58 00:03:32,440 --> 00:03:35,760 Speaker 1: Kolak from Beach Forest, which is a hell of a 59 00:03:35,800 --> 00:03:39,040 Speaker 1: long way, and he would run into Kolak and then 60 00:03:39,160 --> 00:03:42,480 Speaker 1: run back out to Beach Forest. And I presume that 61 00:03:42,920 --> 00:03:48,520 Speaker 1: sometimes a young cliff Young would trot past a middle 62 00:03:48,520 --> 00:03:51,200 Speaker 1: aged Huey Wilson, which is just one of those funny 63 00:03:51,200 --> 00:03:55,080 Speaker 1: little quirks of history. So Huey minded his own business. 64 00:03:55,400 --> 00:03:59,839 Speaker 1: He lived along there for decades, basically three decades, I guess. 65 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:02,840 Speaker 1: If you go from nineteen forty six to nineteen seventy six, 66 00:04:02,920 --> 00:04:06,800 Speaker 1: that's thirty years, and nearly all of that time he 67 00:04:06,920 --> 00:04:10,280 Speaker 1: was camped up in the bush, well known around the town. 68 00:04:10,560 --> 00:04:12,800 Speaker 1: People didn't mind him, they knew who he was, He 69 00:04:12,960 --> 00:04:16,160 Speaker 1: talked to people. There are photographs of him at Christmas 70 00:04:16,160 --> 00:04:19,560 Speaker 1: time having a drink with his family, his sister or 71 00:04:19,560 --> 00:04:22,360 Speaker 1: his brother in law, of that sort of stuff. Had 72 00:04:22,440 --> 00:04:25,200 Speaker 1: quite a few relatives around the place. As I say, 73 00:04:25,240 --> 00:04:31,279 Speaker 1: he wasn't regarded as particularly strange and certainly never a problem, 74 00:04:31,320 --> 00:04:35,279 Speaker 1: not menacing or anything like that, so no one had 75 00:04:35,320 --> 00:04:38,400 Speaker 1: a reason to hurt him. It's the point we're making now. 76 00:04:38,440 --> 00:04:42,400 Speaker 1: On this night, a Saturday evening, September the eleventh, nineteen 77 00:04:42,440 --> 00:04:45,120 Speaker 1: seventy six, it would seem that Hugh he's been down 78 00:04:45,120 --> 00:04:49,320 Speaker 1: to town and he's walking back up to the bush, 79 00:04:49,360 --> 00:04:51,960 Speaker 1: I think the district on that edge of like he's 80 00:04:51,960 --> 00:04:56,800 Speaker 1: called Brungarook, and it's up past the golf club, and 81 00:04:56,839 --> 00:05:00,320 Speaker 1: the racecourse and up into the hills where these days 82 00:05:00,320 --> 00:05:02,719 Speaker 1: there's a few lifestyle blocks and farm lots and that 83 00:05:02,760 --> 00:05:05,680 Speaker 1: sort of stuff. But back in the seventies pretty well 84 00:05:05,720 --> 00:05:08,760 Speaker 1: farming country by and large, and the holdings were probably 85 00:05:08,760 --> 00:05:12,719 Speaker 1: bigger then and fewer people. Are much less traffic and 86 00:05:12,800 --> 00:05:16,800 Speaker 1: all that. So about seven o'clock on this evening, and 87 00:05:16,880 --> 00:05:20,360 Speaker 1: that's about an hour after sunset, so if there's any 88 00:05:20,440 --> 00:05:23,760 Speaker 1: sort of residual evening light, it's getting pretty dark by 89 00:05:23,800 --> 00:05:27,800 Speaker 1: the time this happened. It probably happened around seven pm 90 00:05:27,960 --> 00:05:31,680 Speaker 1: or a bit later that evening. He's walking up through 91 00:05:31,760 --> 00:05:35,880 Speaker 1: Burungaruk and he's at a stretch of road just before 92 00:05:35,920 --> 00:05:39,440 Speaker 1: it hits the bush, before the Bitchumin road runs into 93 00:05:39,440 --> 00:05:43,120 Speaker 1: the bush, and his paddocks on one side, on the 94 00:05:43,160 --> 00:05:46,600 Speaker 1: west side and on the east side on his left 95 00:05:46,640 --> 00:05:50,040 Speaker 1: as he walks uphill is the old brickworks, the old 96 00:05:50,080 --> 00:05:52,960 Speaker 1: Coolak brickworks, and I think at that stage it was 97 00:05:52,960 --> 00:05:57,440 Speaker 1: still operating. I think, not that it matters. And he's 98 00:05:57,800 --> 00:06:01,559 Speaker 1: trudging up the road with his sugar bag, with his dusty, old, dirty, 99 00:06:01,600 --> 00:06:04,080 Speaker 1: old coat that used to wear and all the rest 100 00:06:04,120 --> 00:06:09,159 Speaker 1: of it. And suddenly and we're we'reconstructing what happened here, 101 00:06:09,320 --> 00:06:12,680 Speaker 1: but we know pretty well what happened. A car speeds 102 00:06:12,760 --> 00:06:15,279 Speaker 1: up behind him. Now I don't know if it's headlights 103 00:06:15,279 --> 00:06:17,880 Speaker 1: were on or not, but you can guarantee it was 104 00:06:17,920 --> 00:06:21,200 Speaker 1: going pretty fast because they had it been going slower, 105 00:06:21,520 --> 00:06:24,600 Speaker 1: the driver would have had time to react and dodge him. 106 00:06:24,960 --> 00:06:30,480 Speaker 1: As it turns out, it's going fast, it hit Huie Huie. 107 00:06:30,480 --> 00:06:33,200 Speaker 1: And I know this because I've been close to someone 108 00:06:33,240 --> 00:06:35,479 Speaker 1: who was hit by a car once, and it is 109 00:06:35,560 --> 00:06:38,800 Speaker 1: amazing how people hit by a car are thrown in 110 00:06:38,880 --> 00:06:42,240 Speaker 1: the air like a crashed desk dummy. They go up 111 00:06:42,279 --> 00:06:45,840 Speaker 1: in the air and they somersault and they come down 112 00:06:46,279 --> 00:06:50,600 Speaker 1: in a very ugly, untidy heap, and they do not 113 00:06:50,760 --> 00:06:54,440 Speaker 1: fall softly, and they did not fall in a straight line. 114 00:06:55,040 --> 00:06:57,560 Speaker 1: They are smashed up like a rag doll, and their 115 00:06:57,680 --> 00:07:02,360 Speaker 1: arms and legs are everywhere, which is a relevant point 116 00:07:02,440 --> 00:07:06,039 Speaker 1: to this story. It would appear that the unknown driver 117 00:07:06,480 --> 00:07:12,280 Speaker 1: of this white Valiant police car, let's say it, jumped 118 00:07:12,320 --> 00:07:17,080 Speaker 1: out of the car and took a look at his victim. 119 00:07:17,720 --> 00:07:22,720 Speaker 1: And it seems, and this is where we're getting into speculation, 120 00:07:23,000 --> 00:07:26,560 Speaker 1: it seems made a terrible decision. It would appear that 121 00:07:26,640 --> 00:07:30,480 Speaker 1: the driver of this police car probably wasn't supposed to 122 00:07:30,520 --> 00:07:33,920 Speaker 1: be driving it that night. It would appear that the 123 00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:38,320 Speaker 1: driver of this police car might not have wanted anybody 124 00:07:38,360 --> 00:07:41,440 Speaker 1: to know that he was driving in that area at 125 00:07:41,440 --> 00:07:45,120 Speaker 1: that time. He may not have been supposed to be there. 126 00:07:45,360 --> 00:07:49,520 Speaker 1: And the other concern here is he be facing a 127 00:07:49,560 --> 00:07:55,080 Speaker 1: culpable driving charge, probably particularly if it had any drinks 128 00:07:55,120 --> 00:07:58,080 Speaker 1: earlier in that day and in the nineteen seventies on 129 00:07:58,200 --> 00:08:02,280 Speaker 1: Saturdays and Saturday nights. I'm here to say that most 130 00:08:02,760 --> 00:08:07,240 Speaker 1: rural males, particularly police, probably had had a drink or 131 00:08:07,360 --> 00:08:11,240 Speaker 1: three or five on a Saturday afternoon in some setting 132 00:08:11,320 --> 00:08:14,760 Speaker 1: or another, if not at the football, then at a barbecue, 133 00:08:14,840 --> 00:08:17,320 Speaker 1: or at the pub, or watching the races at the pub, 134 00:08:17,360 --> 00:08:20,200 Speaker 1: whatever it might be. So these every chance that this 135 00:08:20,280 --> 00:08:24,640 Speaker 1: driver also had that incentive not to be caught because 136 00:08:25,240 --> 00:08:28,600 Speaker 1: they probably had a drink which would play against them 137 00:08:29,200 --> 00:08:33,720 Speaker 1: if they went to court. So, whatever the reasons were, 138 00:08:33,960 --> 00:08:38,559 Speaker 1: this driver did not call in on the police radio 139 00:08:38,679 --> 00:08:42,599 Speaker 1: to say of struck a pedestrian, did not call for 140 00:08:42,640 --> 00:08:46,080 Speaker 1: an ambulance, did not go for help, did not pick 141 00:08:46,160 --> 00:08:49,120 Speaker 1: up the stricken man and drag him into the car, 142 00:08:49,200 --> 00:08:51,480 Speaker 1: and drive down to the hospital to try and save 143 00:08:51,520 --> 00:08:56,280 Speaker 1: his life. At the very best he left him. But 144 00:08:57,080 --> 00:09:01,960 Speaker 1: the rumors and whispers suggests that this actually got out 145 00:09:02,520 --> 00:09:06,280 Speaker 1: and decided to do something that he and many others 146 00:09:06,280 --> 00:09:09,600 Speaker 1: have done with injured kangaroos or injured wombats over the years. 147 00:09:09,640 --> 00:09:14,240 Speaker 1: In bush country. When you injure a kangaroo, beyond all 148 00:09:14,280 --> 00:09:18,959 Speaker 1: help you dispatch them, you kill them, essentially and usually 149 00:09:19,040 --> 00:09:21,439 Speaker 1: by hitting them in the head with a heavy object 150 00:09:21,600 --> 00:09:25,600 Speaker 1: which people used to carry in their cars. And the 151 00:09:25,640 --> 00:09:29,440 Speaker 1: suspicion is that poor Huey Wilson was struck in the 152 00:09:29,520 --> 00:09:34,240 Speaker 1: head with a heavy tool of some sort, and one 153 00:09:34,280 --> 00:09:35,840 Speaker 1: with a bit of an edge on it, because it 154 00:09:35,920 --> 00:09:40,760 Speaker 1: left a very sharp wound in the head, which people, 155 00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:44,920 Speaker 1: including a coroner, thought was not consistent with being struck 156 00:09:44,960 --> 00:09:47,920 Speaker 1: by a car. The car had hit him at a 157 00:09:47,920 --> 00:09:52,280 Speaker 1: certain level below the torso and thrown him in the 158 00:09:52,280 --> 00:09:55,400 Speaker 1: air and so on, but it looked as if his 159 00:09:55,440 --> 00:10:00,200 Speaker 1: head had been deliberately struck to finish him off. That 160 00:10:01,160 --> 00:10:04,840 Speaker 1: is that the heart of this most terrible story. The 161 00:10:04,840 --> 00:10:09,080 Speaker 1: suspicion is that a driver had got out and killed 162 00:10:09,080 --> 00:10:13,040 Speaker 1: this middle aged man rather than help save him. Because 163 00:10:13,559 --> 00:10:17,240 Speaker 1: the driver in this case, wanted to save their own neck. 164 00:10:17,360 --> 00:10:21,040 Speaker 1: They had other problems and they wanted to avoid it, 165 00:10:21,120 --> 00:10:25,240 Speaker 1: and they made this terrible decision in a matter of seconds. Now, 166 00:10:25,720 --> 00:10:29,040 Speaker 1: how do we know about this, Well, Hughey Wilson is 167 00:10:29,080 --> 00:10:32,720 Speaker 1: found early next morning, I think at dawn, about six o'clock, 168 00:10:32,760 --> 00:10:37,040 Speaker 1: six thirty. I think a lady's driving down from Baron 169 00:10:37,080 --> 00:10:40,720 Speaker 1: Garrook and she sees the body lying beside the road. 170 00:10:41,640 --> 00:10:44,640 Speaker 1: She goes down or calls whatever, She gets to a 171 00:10:44,679 --> 00:10:47,000 Speaker 1: phone or she drives to the police and Colac police 172 00:10:47,520 --> 00:10:51,960 Speaker 1: turn up. Now the policeman on duty, he is a 173 00:10:52,000 --> 00:10:56,359 Speaker 1: fellow called Peter Gonon and Peter Gournon at this stage 174 00:10:56,640 --> 00:11:00,679 Speaker 1: was a twenty three year old constable. From eleven pm 175 00:11:00,920 --> 00:11:05,400 Speaker 1: until seven am. He was the watchhouse keeper who was 176 00:11:05,600 --> 00:11:09,680 Speaker 1: basically the only go on duty apart from another placeman 177 00:11:09,720 --> 00:11:12,319 Speaker 1: called Gary Thayer who was out driving the divvy van 178 00:11:12,400 --> 00:11:16,400 Speaker 1: patrolling in the divvy van. Gunham was on duty. Goonan 179 00:11:16,600 --> 00:11:19,960 Speaker 1: is sent or called or whatever, goes up, jumps in 180 00:11:19,960 --> 00:11:23,520 Speaker 1: the car, drives up to Baron Grook, takes five minutes 181 00:11:24,240 --> 00:11:28,080 Speaker 1: and he inspects the body of Huey Wilson and what 182 00:11:28,200 --> 00:11:32,280 Speaker 1: he found was interesting in view of what was later 183 00:11:32,360 --> 00:11:35,680 Speaker 1: thought about this. He found it a little disconcerting. He thought, 184 00:11:36,000 --> 00:11:40,320 Speaker 1: what's wrong with this scene? What's wrong with what's happened here? 185 00:11:40,679 --> 00:11:43,319 Speaker 1: If this bloke's when hit by a car, why is 186 00:11:43,360 --> 00:11:48,319 Speaker 1: he laying out so straight and neat and true, sort 187 00:11:48,360 --> 00:11:51,400 Speaker 1: of beside the road in a straight line, I think, 188 00:11:51,440 --> 00:11:55,480 Speaker 1: with his arms beside his body and his feet together. 189 00:11:55,559 --> 00:11:58,000 Speaker 1: And he was laid out as if he'd been laid 190 00:11:58,000 --> 00:12:01,959 Speaker 1: out ready to put in a coffin. And even though 191 00:12:02,000 --> 00:12:06,079 Speaker 1: he was only a young copper, he realized that if 192 00:12:06,120 --> 00:12:08,320 Speaker 1: you've been struck by a car and left the way 193 00:12:08,320 --> 00:12:11,800 Speaker 1: you fell, you don't look like that. You don't fall dead, 194 00:12:11,840 --> 00:12:15,160 Speaker 1: straight and neat and rick and mortis had already started 195 00:12:15,160 --> 00:12:18,640 Speaker 1: to set in. And this Huey Wilson, his body had 196 00:12:18,679 --> 00:12:23,480 Speaker 1: stiffened sufficiently straight that he could fit into a coffin. 197 00:12:23,640 --> 00:12:27,559 Speaker 1: And this, I think stuck in Peter Gounon's mind. He thought, 198 00:12:27,679 --> 00:12:31,600 Speaker 1: this isn't right. There's something wrong. He's been arranged. That 199 00:12:31,679 --> 00:12:35,559 Speaker 1: body's been arranged. Now was it arranged here where he fell? 200 00:12:36,640 --> 00:12:41,440 Speaker 1: Or has he been taken away and then brought back? 201 00:12:42,600 --> 00:12:45,440 Speaker 1: Because if he was taken away, maybe somebody thought they 202 00:12:45,480 --> 00:12:47,720 Speaker 1: were going to bury him or get rid of him, 203 00:12:48,040 --> 00:12:52,240 Speaker 1: and then they've thought about it perhaps and brought him 204 00:12:52,280 --> 00:12:55,400 Speaker 1: back and dump him beside the road. Again, these are 205 00:12:55,440 --> 00:12:58,720 Speaker 1: all valid speculations in the case of Peter Godon. Now 206 00:12:58,760 --> 00:13:01,120 Speaker 1: Peter Gournon, as a said, he was only twenty three. 207 00:13:01,400 --> 00:13:07,000 Speaker 1: He is quite concerned about this, the irregularities about this matter, 208 00:13:07,760 --> 00:13:11,480 Speaker 1: and he made his concerns felt. But he's only young. 209 00:13:11,679 --> 00:13:14,480 Speaker 1: He's very junior at the station, and he soon realizes 210 00:13:14,600 --> 00:13:17,760 Speaker 1: that there's a bit of pushback about this. Pettigoon is 211 00:13:17,800 --> 00:13:20,720 Speaker 1: not happy about that, and some other people are not 212 00:13:20,800 --> 00:13:27,320 Speaker 1: happy either, because the rumor goes around Kalak that strange 213 00:13:27,320 --> 00:13:31,319 Speaker 1: things happened on that Saturday night. Later that night, a 214 00:13:31,480 --> 00:13:36,120 Speaker 1: man working at the local cream factory and I think 215 00:13:36,120 --> 00:13:39,719 Speaker 1: it's a cream factory and a nice creamery actually now 216 00:13:39,760 --> 00:13:41,840 Speaker 1: owned by Buller Dairy Foods. I think he was a 217 00:13:41,880 --> 00:13:45,240 Speaker 1: security guard or similar, and he saw a tow truck 218 00:13:45,320 --> 00:13:48,560 Speaker 1: come down the main street which is the Princess Highway 219 00:13:49,320 --> 00:13:52,120 Speaker 1: with what he thought was a white police car on 220 00:13:52,120 --> 00:13:57,080 Speaker 1: the back and disappear into the big roller door entry 221 00:13:57,360 --> 00:14:01,959 Speaker 1: into a local panel shop. The panel shop is called 222 00:14:02,400 --> 00:14:06,880 Speaker 1: lane Way Panels. Was called and it had the unique 223 00:14:06,880 --> 00:14:11,880 Speaker 1: advantage for Colak Police of having a very close relationship 224 00:14:12,360 --> 00:14:17,520 Speaker 1: with them. In fact, the locals, being local and funny guys, 225 00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:23,320 Speaker 1: they called lane Way Panels Coolak West Police Station because 226 00:14:23,360 --> 00:14:26,160 Speaker 1: so many of the coppers at Kolak would go down 227 00:14:26,200 --> 00:14:29,480 Speaker 1: to Laneway Panels where they would nighttime might have a drink. 228 00:14:30,320 --> 00:14:34,160 Speaker 1: They would perhaps or night shift meet there for coffee 229 00:14:34,240 --> 00:14:37,720 Speaker 1: or beer and have something to eat, and many of 230 00:14:37,760 --> 00:14:41,440 Speaker 1: them were very close to the proprietor or proprietors of 231 00:14:41,560 --> 00:14:45,160 Speaker 1: lane Way Panels because of course Kolak is a highway 232 00:14:45,200 --> 00:14:48,280 Speaker 1: town on the Princess Highway and in those days in 233 00:14:48,320 --> 00:14:52,120 Speaker 1: the seventies, it was peak road crash time in Australia. 234 00:14:52,200 --> 00:14:56,640 Speaker 1: It's when people were crashing cars all the time. And 235 00:14:56,800 --> 00:14:59,880 Speaker 1: if you were a copper out on the highways, you know, 236 00:15:00,280 --> 00:15:02,760 Speaker 1: several times in a week probably there'd be some sort 237 00:15:02,760 --> 00:15:05,640 Speaker 1: of car crash and if you were friendly with the 238 00:15:05,720 --> 00:15:09,320 Speaker 1: local panel Better guy or one of them, if they 239 00:15:09,360 --> 00:15:14,000 Speaker 1: were competitive, you would tip off their tow truck and 240 00:15:14,120 --> 00:15:17,440 Speaker 1: that tow truck would come out, get the job, take 241 00:15:17,520 --> 00:15:20,880 Speaker 1: the car back into the panel shop, and of course 242 00:15:20,960 --> 00:15:23,480 Speaker 1: that panel Better would get the big insurance job and 243 00:15:23,520 --> 00:15:27,600 Speaker 1: make money by repairing the car. And this symbiotic relationship 244 00:15:27,600 --> 00:15:32,080 Speaker 1: between coppers and panel betters existed. I'm here to say 245 00:15:32,360 --> 00:15:37,080 Speaker 1: in every major regional town, probably in Australia, anywhere big 246 00:15:37,160 --> 00:15:41,480 Speaker 1: enough to have a dominant Panel Better would have a 247 00:15:41,560 --> 00:15:45,240 Speaker 1: relationship with the local police. They'd either be very friendly 248 00:15:45,280 --> 00:15:49,040 Speaker 1: with them or they'd be not friendly with them because 249 00:15:49,040 --> 00:15:52,400 Speaker 1: another Panel Better was friendly with them. So in Kolak 250 00:15:52,560 --> 00:15:55,520 Speaker 1: there are actually two Panel Better shops and the other 251 00:15:55,600 --> 00:15:58,280 Speaker 1: one were on the outer with the police because they 252 00:15:58,320 --> 00:16:02,920 Speaker 1: weren't slinging the police cash or beer or whatever it 253 00:16:03,000 --> 00:16:07,440 Speaker 1: was that the police were getting. Of course, this symbiotic relationship, 254 00:16:07,800 --> 00:16:11,000 Speaker 1: you know, it's become social. You know. They were friendly, 255 00:16:11,200 --> 00:16:13,960 Speaker 1: literally friendly with each other. They might have been involved 256 00:16:14,000 --> 00:16:17,520 Speaker 1: in footy or cricket teams with each other, the Panel 257 00:16:17,560 --> 00:16:20,840 Speaker 1: Better guys and the police and some of the police 258 00:16:21,000 --> 00:16:24,600 Speaker 1: being handy blugs always out to make an extra dollar, 259 00:16:24,760 --> 00:16:28,880 Speaker 1: as many of them did. They were young blugs buying houses. 260 00:16:29,120 --> 00:16:31,800 Speaker 1: Some of them would actually do work there as casual workers. 261 00:16:31,800 --> 00:16:34,520 Speaker 1: They'd help rub down cars and they would work on 262 00:16:34,560 --> 00:16:36,880 Speaker 1: their own vehicles. If they had a scrape or a scratch, 263 00:16:37,440 --> 00:16:40,080 Speaker 1: they'd work on their own cars and spray paint them whatever, 264 00:16:41,320 --> 00:16:45,040 Speaker 1: and everybody got along very well. But of course the 265 00:16:45,160 --> 00:16:48,400 Speaker 1: dark side of this could be if a policeman runs 266 00:16:48,400 --> 00:16:52,840 Speaker 1: over a citizen in a police car that he wasn't 267 00:16:52,840 --> 00:16:55,520 Speaker 1: supposed to be driving that night, then it might be 268 00:16:55,600 --> 00:16:58,560 Speaker 1: taken to the panel shop and they will work on 269 00:16:58,640 --> 00:17:01,240 Speaker 1: it all night, and they will get it fixed up 270 00:17:01,360 --> 00:17:04,840 Speaker 1: enough to go back to the police station, and he 271 00:17:05,040 --> 00:17:07,960 Speaker 1: put in the police garage or the police car yard, 272 00:17:08,760 --> 00:17:12,680 Speaker 1: and the keys from that valiant sedan would be then 273 00:17:12,800 --> 00:17:17,280 Speaker 1: put back on the key rack or key cabinet inside 274 00:17:17,280 --> 00:17:20,679 Speaker 1: the police station as if nothing had ever happened, Please 275 00:17:20,760 --> 00:17:24,520 Speaker 1: move on. That is the local rumor in a nutshell. 276 00:17:24,680 --> 00:17:27,960 Speaker 1: But Peter Gunnon was a bit different. Peter Gunan was 277 00:17:28,240 --> 00:17:31,040 Speaker 1: a local boy. He wasn't a copper from somewhere else. 278 00:17:31,800 --> 00:17:35,760 Speaker 1: He was from a solid dairy farming family just outside 279 00:17:35,760 --> 00:17:40,560 Speaker 1: the town. His wife was Heather, was also from another 280 00:17:41,040 --> 00:17:45,440 Speaker 1: dairy farming place just outside town. They were really strong 281 00:17:45,640 --> 00:17:49,280 Speaker 1: local family. They were really strong local families, both of them, 282 00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:52,600 Speaker 1: and they had the sort of values that come with that. 283 00:17:52,840 --> 00:17:56,480 Speaker 1: They believed in justice and doing the right thing, and 284 00:17:56,680 --> 00:18:01,000 Speaker 1: they would have grown up there knowing Wilson's, various Wilson 285 00:18:01,240 --> 00:18:06,639 Speaker 1: family members, and young Peter Gurnon thought it's stank that 286 00:18:06,760 --> 00:18:09,720 Speaker 1: this might have been what happened. And of course he 287 00:18:09,720 --> 00:18:13,080 Speaker 1: heard rumors and he would hear whispers both in and 288 00:18:13,119 --> 00:18:16,159 Speaker 1: outside the police station. He might have contributed to some 289 00:18:16,200 --> 00:18:20,640 Speaker 1: of them rumors and whispers. But the feeling was that 290 00:18:21,119 --> 00:18:25,720 Speaker 1: early on that evening of September the eleventh, the Saturday night, 291 00:18:26,400 --> 00:18:30,240 Speaker 1: that a particular policeman who was off duty at the time, 292 00:18:31,640 --> 00:18:35,040 Speaker 1: it is alleged, had come in because he wanted to 293 00:18:35,160 --> 00:18:39,600 Speaker 1: use a car to do something. Maybe he was supposed 294 00:18:39,600 --> 00:18:41,840 Speaker 1: to be walking the dog, or maybe he was supposed 295 00:18:41,880 --> 00:18:46,320 Speaker 1: to be playing golf or whatever. But the reality is 296 00:18:46,560 --> 00:18:49,200 Speaker 1: that he came into the police station and he took 297 00:18:49,400 --> 00:18:53,320 Speaker 1: the keys to the white ves in sedan which wasn't 298 00:18:53,359 --> 00:18:56,480 Speaker 1: being used then, and he jumped in it and went 299 00:18:56,520 --> 00:18:59,040 Speaker 1: off to do whatever it was he wanted to do. 300 00:18:59,359 --> 00:19:02,080 Speaker 1: Now it's open to speculation what that would be, but 301 00:19:03,119 --> 00:19:05,520 Speaker 1: there are those who would suggest, well, he was visiting 302 00:19:06,000 --> 00:19:09,520 Speaker 1: a woman other than his wife or something like that, 303 00:19:10,160 --> 00:19:15,159 Speaker 1: and that would account for a few things. A driving 304 00:19:15,200 --> 00:19:17,520 Speaker 1: fast because he was in a hurry one way or 305 00:19:17,520 --> 00:19:20,600 Speaker 1: the other to go there or to come back be 306 00:19:21,160 --> 00:19:24,119 Speaker 1: it would account for him not wanting to be caught 307 00:19:25,000 --> 00:19:27,560 Speaker 1: at the scene of an accident, at the wrong place, 308 00:19:27,960 --> 00:19:31,000 Speaker 1: at the wrong time, in the wrong car. It would 309 00:19:31,040 --> 00:19:36,160 Speaker 1: give him motive to do what it is alleged happened 310 00:19:36,720 --> 00:19:38,680 Speaker 1: to Huey Wilson, that is that he was not only 311 00:19:38,760 --> 00:19:45,120 Speaker 1: run over but then killed. So this dreadful rumor, it's 312 00:19:45,160 --> 00:19:48,960 Speaker 1: like something out of the Deep South in America, has 313 00:19:49,040 --> 00:19:54,200 Speaker 1: hungover that town of Kolak and that whole district for decades, 314 00:19:54,600 --> 00:19:57,960 Speaker 1: and it's very well known down there, and people to 315 00:19:58,080 --> 00:20:01,520 Speaker 1: this day a very quiet about it. I know this 316 00:20:01,600 --> 00:20:05,120 Speaker 1: because I actually went down there at least a month ago, 317 00:20:05,160 --> 00:20:08,479 Speaker 1: it might be five weeks, and it was a very 318 00:20:08,520 --> 00:20:10,879 Speaker 1: hot day, and I went up to the scene of 319 00:20:11,080 --> 00:20:14,840 Speaker 1: the incident, and I was able to reconstruct exactly where 320 00:20:14,880 --> 00:20:18,439 Speaker 1: the body was because I'd seen the old photos with 321 00:20:18,560 --> 00:20:21,840 Speaker 1: Peter Goo and the policeman in them pointing at the ground, 322 00:20:22,280 --> 00:20:25,119 Speaker 1: and I could line up the road signs. Still to 323 00:20:25,119 --> 00:20:27,359 Speaker 1: this day, you can line up certain road signs and 324 00:20:27,400 --> 00:20:31,119 Speaker 1: fences and work it out where it happened. And I 325 00:20:31,200 --> 00:20:33,280 Speaker 1: went down into the town and I went around to 326 00:20:33,359 --> 00:20:37,320 Speaker 1: visit a woman who it is said had driven past 327 00:20:37,400 --> 00:20:42,400 Speaker 1: that night and seen momentarily seen a white police car 328 00:20:42,520 --> 00:20:48,000 Speaker 1: white police sedan at that spot. Her statement, I'm told 329 00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:50,520 Speaker 1: by a former policeman who has come to me about this. 330 00:20:51,160 --> 00:20:53,920 Speaker 1: He said that her statement was altered. They took out 331 00:20:54,119 --> 00:20:58,760 Speaker 1: the paragraph that referred to her seeing that car at 332 00:20:58,760 --> 00:21:03,680 Speaker 1: the scene. Note for that lady at her most excellent 333 00:21:03,920 --> 00:21:08,040 Speaker 1: and very neat tidy house in the local Housing Commission area. 334 00:21:08,640 --> 00:21:10,879 Speaker 1: She would win an award for a tidy house. I 335 00:21:10,920 --> 00:21:14,399 Speaker 1: think she looked highly organized the person I would think, 336 00:21:14,520 --> 00:21:17,160 Speaker 1: but she wasn't answering her door that day. I think 337 00:21:17,320 --> 00:21:20,600 Speaker 1: she was out somewhere and I went back several times 338 00:21:20,800 --> 00:21:23,760 Speaker 1: and I left a note, but she didn't call me back, 339 00:21:23,920 --> 00:21:27,760 Speaker 1: and obviously doesn't want anything to do with this because 340 00:21:28,640 --> 00:21:32,240 Speaker 1: it has been for her a dark shadow. I found 341 00:21:32,560 --> 00:21:35,639 Speaker 1: other people who didn't want to talk much about it, 342 00:21:36,040 --> 00:21:39,959 Speaker 1: and there were other people who didn't want to be found. 343 00:21:40,960 --> 00:21:44,720 Speaker 1: And it's intriguing that at this distance, after all these years, 344 00:21:45,240 --> 00:21:51,320 Speaker 1: that so many people are still so nervous of saying 345 00:21:51,400 --> 00:21:55,800 Speaker 1: anything about it. This includes the former policeman who's talked 346 00:21:55,840 --> 00:21:58,679 Speaker 1: to me about it, a policeman who went and worked 347 00:21:58,720 --> 00:22:03,800 Speaker 1: there at coolak around this time. He always thought it 348 00:22:03,880 --> 00:22:09,520 Speaker 1: was very smelly, very wrong, and even now what is 349 00:22:09,560 --> 00:22:12,480 Speaker 1: it forty eight years later when I met him to 350 00:22:12,520 --> 00:22:16,720 Speaker 1: talk about it, he was very anxious that we'd not 351 00:22:16,880 --> 00:22:20,720 Speaker 1: be anywhere visible to anybody who might be watching us, 352 00:22:20,800 --> 00:22:25,160 Speaker 1: which I thought was interesting that he still worried about 353 00:22:25,160 --> 00:22:29,919 Speaker 1: what he sees as the police brotherhood causing trouble for 354 00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:32,879 Speaker 1: the likes of him. When I set out to investigate 355 00:22:32,920 --> 00:22:35,399 Speaker 1: this story back early in the new year, I thought 356 00:22:35,520 --> 00:22:39,639 Speaker 1: I must track down Peter goon Peter Goonan, the honest copper, 357 00:22:39,880 --> 00:22:44,040 Speaker 1: Peter Gounon, the copper who over the years at least 358 00:22:44,080 --> 00:22:49,520 Speaker 1: twice has sought out help from the media. He was 359 00:22:49,560 --> 00:22:53,160 Speaker 1: the subject of an Australian story on the ABC. He 360 00:22:53,440 --> 00:22:57,480 Speaker 1: also made a series of allegations which were the basis 361 00:22:57,560 --> 00:23:01,440 Speaker 1: I think of our fresh inquest to Huey Wilson's death 362 00:23:02,359 --> 00:23:05,200 Speaker 1: back in the early two thousands. One way and another, 363 00:23:05,240 --> 00:23:09,400 Speaker 1: there's been at least two sets of inquiries into this. Interestingly, 364 00:23:10,080 --> 00:23:16,080 Speaker 1: the police internal investigations units of more recent years. By 365 00:23:16,080 --> 00:23:20,480 Speaker 1: that I mean in the early two thousands were quite 366 00:23:20,600 --> 00:23:23,800 Speaker 1: concerned about this and had a real red hot go 367 00:23:23,960 --> 00:23:27,480 Speaker 1: at it. Trying to get people to tell them the 368 00:23:27,520 --> 00:23:32,200 Speaker 1: truth about what might have happened. And those internal investigators, 369 00:23:32,320 --> 00:23:34,439 Speaker 1: I think they had a pretty genuine go at it, 370 00:23:34,800 --> 00:23:38,520 Speaker 1: and they've got a real good idea who thereafter. They 371 00:23:38,920 --> 00:23:42,040 Speaker 1: believe that it was a particular officer who was driving 372 00:23:42,119 --> 00:23:45,159 Speaker 1: the car that night. Lame May Panels, of course, are 373 00:23:45,520 --> 00:23:49,040 Speaker 1: sort of innocent bystanders in this business in a sense. 374 00:23:49,080 --> 00:23:52,600 Speaker 1: All they've done is help somebody fix a car up. 375 00:23:52,600 --> 00:23:55,920 Speaker 1: But they didn't actually go looking for people to be 376 00:23:56,000 --> 00:23:58,959 Speaker 1: run over, So they've been dragged into it through their 377 00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:03,320 Speaker 1: association with the police. In this story, the bad guy 378 00:24:03,400 --> 00:24:07,080 Speaker 1: is a particular placement. It would appear that this car, 379 00:24:07,600 --> 00:24:10,840 Speaker 1: the white car, was fixed that night and was taken 380 00:24:10,840 --> 00:24:13,280 Speaker 1: back to the police station, as we know when an 381 00:24:13,280 --> 00:24:17,560 Speaker 1: inquest was finally called or redone a second in quest. 382 00:24:17,600 --> 00:24:22,200 Speaker 1: Perhaps several people gave sworn evidence, and most of them 383 00:24:22,600 --> 00:24:26,320 Speaker 1: said they didn't know anything about it. They really didn't know. 384 00:24:26,400 --> 00:24:29,760 Speaker 1: They can't remember a car being repaired, they can't remember anything. 385 00:24:30,440 --> 00:24:35,480 Speaker 1: It's all rumors and nonsense, etc. But one Panel Better, 386 00:24:35,560 --> 00:24:41,000 Speaker 1: former panel Better, gave evidence that he was called in 387 00:24:41,040 --> 00:24:43,959 Speaker 1: to work on that Saturday night and that he worked 388 00:24:44,160 --> 00:24:48,960 Speaker 1: on a white Valiant police car. I think the coroner 389 00:24:49,000 --> 00:24:53,760 Speaker 1: was able to deduce that Hughey Wilson was run over 390 00:24:53,800 --> 00:24:58,440 Speaker 1: and killed by persons unknown, but that some of the 391 00:24:58,480 --> 00:25:03,480 Speaker 1: injuries suffered by that deceased were not consistent with being 392 00:25:03,560 --> 00:25:07,480 Speaker 1: run over only. It seemed to me, after I'd been 393 00:25:07,520 --> 00:25:09,960 Speaker 1: to Kolak back in the New year, early in the 394 00:25:10,000 --> 00:25:12,960 Speaker 1: new year a few weeks ago, that I should track 395 00:25:13,000 --> 00:25:16,200 Speaker 1: down Peter Goonon and I knew he was in Queensland. 396 00:25:16,280 --> 00:25:20,240 Speaker 1: In fact, I knew he had been last known around 397 00:25:20,240 --> 00:25:23,119 Speaker 1: Harvey Bay, and I looked up a business he had 398 00:25:23,200 --> 00:25:25,960 Speaker 1: up there, a caravan storage business. I rang it and 399 00:25:26,000 --> 00:25:28,239 Speaker 1: they said, oh, he hasn't been at this place for 400 00:25:28,640 --> 00:25:32,680 Speaker 1: twelve years or something like that. He's retired somewhere, and 401 00:25:32,840 --> 00:25:36,160 Speaker 1: he was very hard to track and I thought, oh, well, 402 00:25:36,320 --> 00:25:38,840 Speaker 1: I'll try and find him. I've got relatives at Harvey Bay. 403 00:25:39,280 --> 00:25:41,320 Speaker 1: I'll try and track him down. I rang the relatives 404 00:25:41,320 --> 00:25:45,880 Speaker 1: and they couldn't find him easily at least. And then 405 00:25:46,760 --> 00:25:49,879 Speaker 1: just before I sat down to write this story, and 406 00:25:49,960 --> 00:25:53,360 Speaker 1: before I sat down to make this podcast, I googled 407 00:25:53,440 --> 00:25:56,920 Speaker 1: up his name just to see if there'd been any change, 408 00:25:57,280 --> 00:26:01,320 Speaker 1: and there had been. While i'd been doing this story. 409 00:26:02,040 --> 00:26:06,760 Speaker 1: Peter Goonan had died. He died in Harvey Bay in 410 00:26:06,800 --> 00:26:10,360 Speaker 1: the first week of February, and this week I had 411 00:26:10,400 --> 00:26:13,399 Speaker 1: the pleasure, i guess, or the honor, to talk to 412 00:26:13,440 --> 00:26:16,200 Speaker 1: his widow, Heather, and she spoke to me very warmly 413 00:26:16,560 --> 00:26:21,440 Speaker 1: and openly about her husband. She said that he was 414 00:26:21,480 --> 00:26:23,640 Speaker 1: a good and decent man. They had met when they're 415 00:26:23,680 --> 00:26:26,800 Speaker 1: on the school bus of school kids, when they were teenagers. 416 00:26:27,160 --> 00:26:30,040 Speaker 1: They got married young, they had two daughters. They lived 417 00:26:30,400 --> 00:26:34,280 Speaker 1: a happy life in many ways. And yet the shadow 418 00:26:34,800 --> 00:26:39,040 Speaker 1: of this thing had hung over Peter because he'd taken 419 00:26:39,080 --> 00:26:42,640 Speaker 1: on the bad guys. He tried to tell the truth, 420 00:26:42,800 --> 00:26:46,080 Speaker 1: He tried to expose the truth. He tried to get 421 00:26:46,080 --> 00:26:51,080 Speaker 1: the system to do the right thing and investigate the 422 00:26:51,160 --> 00:26:55,240 Speaker 1: internal affairs people to investigate and find out what really happened. 423 00:26:55,960 --> 00:26:58,440 Speaker 1: And what he got for his troubles, By and large, 424 00:26:58,440 --> 00:27:01,720 Speaker 1: apart from some pretty sympathe that media coverage and good 425 00:27:01,760 --> 00:27:06,160 Speaker 1: on him for that, he got the cold shoulder from 426 00:27:06,400 --> 00:27:09,040 Speaker 1: other police. He got sent to Coventry, He was the 427 00:27:09,119 --> 00:27:13,800 Speaker 1: target of rumors and innuendos. He got shunned, he got ostracized. 428 00:27:14,240 --> 00:27:17,960 Speaker 1: The classic stuff that happens when an outlier in the 429 00:27:18,000 --> 00:27:22,639 Speaker 1: group stands apart from the group. This can happen a 430 00:27:22,680 --> 00:27:26,720 Speaker 1: lot in groups like the police, and that is what 431 00:27:26,840 --> 00:27:30,400 Speaker 1: happened to him. And his wife confirmed to me that 432 00:27:31,040 --> 00:27:34,680 Speaker 1: Peter had left the police force in nineteen seventy nine, 433 00:27:34,800 --> 00:27:38,480 Speaker 1: only three years after the death of Hughie Wilson. So 434 00:27:38,520 --> 00:27:40,440 Speaker 1: he's still a young man. He was only twenty six. 435 00:27:41,000 --> 00:27:42,640 Speaker 1: And I said, what did you do? She said, well, 436 00:27:42,640 --> 00:27:45,320 Speaker 1: we stayed around Kolak, that's where we came from. We 437 00:27:45,359 --> 00:27:49,560 Speaker 1: had deep roots in the community and we started a business. 438 00:27:49,640 --> 00:27:52,880 Speaker 1: We had quite a good business there. But after ten years, 439 00:27:52,880 --> 00:27:57,000 Speaker 1: in nineteen eighty nine, we decided to quit Kolak, quit 440 00:27:57,080 --> 00:28:00,320 Speaker 1: Victoria and go to Queensland. And that is when that 441 00:28:00,400 --> 00:28:05,280 Speaker 1: couple and their little girls went to Queensland and they 442 00:28:05,560 --> 00:28:10,760 Speaker 1: started other businesses up there. And Peter Gounon never really 443 00:28:10,880 --> 00:28:15,359 Speaker 1: let it go. He pursued it at least twice. He 444 00:28:15,600 --> 00:28:20,880 Speaker 1: caused media to reinvestigate it, he caused the police at 445 00:28:21,040 --> 00:28:26,560 Speaker 1: some level to reinvestigate it. But the result to date 446 00:28:27,000 --> 00:28:32,960 Speaker 1: has been zilch Huey Wilson an Australian citizen, a brother, 447 00:28:33,720 --> 00:28:37,800 Speaker 1: a son who went to war in the nineteen forties, 448 00:28:38,320 --> 00:28:42,680 Speaker 1: came back, lived a strange and lonely life, but never 449 00:28:42,760 --> 00:28:47,640 Speaker 1: hurt anyone, and he was run down like a dog 450 00:28:47,760 --> 00:28:51,320 Speaker 1: or a kangaroo, and somebody got away with that, and 451 00:28:51,360 --> 00:28:55,720 Speaker 1: it always angered Peter Gournon that that had happened. And 452 00:28:55,800 --> 00:29:01,760 Speaker 1: Peter Gunon died relatively young. He died fairly, suddenly, unexpectedly, 453 00:29:02,680 --> 00:29:06,240 Speaker 1: at the age of seventy one, and his wife didn't 454 00:29:06,560 --> 00:29:11,840 Speaker 1: quite say so, but she implied that the stress and 455 00:29:11,920 --> 00:29:18,720 Speaker 1: strain of the whole Huey Wilson saga had been a 456 00:29:18,840 --> 00:29:23,360 Speaker 1: dark shadow on her husband's life, and in fact, in 457 00:29:23,400 --> 00:29:26,840 Speaker 1: the death notice that she put in her local paper 458 00:29:27,400 --> 00:29:30,560 Speaker 1: in Harvey Bay, she finished her little death notice with 459 00:29:30,840 --> 00:29:35,720 Speaker 1: an epigram which comes from a song, and the line 460 00:29:35,840 --> 00:29:42,760 Speaker 1: is this because it's a bittersweet symphony, that's life, and 461 00:29:42,800 --> 00:29:46,640 Speaker 1: that is from a modern hymn. Some people call it. 462 00:29:48,080 --> 00:29:51,720 Speaker 1: That is the life that Peter Goonon led, because he 463 00:29:51,760 --> 00:29:56,040 Speaker 1: had the nerve and the guts to try and do 464 00:29:56,120 --> 00:29:56,680 Speaker 1: the right thing. 465 00:29:58,520 --> 00:30:02,440 Speaker 2: An editor's note in in twenty twelve, a Victorian coroner 466 00:30:02,520 --> 00:30:06,360 Speaker 2: found there was no evidence to suggest police were responsible 467 00:30:06,440 --> 00:30:10,040 Speaker 2: for Huey Wilson's death. The inquest heard a police car 468 00:30:10,080 --> 00:30:13,520 Speaker 2: had been repaired around the time Wilson died, but police 469 00:30:13,520 --> 00:30:16,720 Speaker 2: were cleared of any involvement as the coroner found the 470 00:30:16,800 --> 00:30:19,160 Speaker 2: damage to the car was not consistent 471 00:30:19,440 --> 00:30:20,680 Speaker 1: With Wilson's injuries.